david byrne's ted talk

 here's a sixteen-minute TED talk by david byrne about how architecture (concert halls, opera houses, dive bars) and technology (recording studios, automobile soundsystems) affected/affects the evolution of music. birds do it too.

here's an email i got from mr. byrne on friday his presentation. watch the talk below.

The Venue Makes The Music - Creation In Reverse

I was honored to do a TED talk this year - back in February...My own talk (it wasn't a musical performance) was based on the idea that the acoustic properties of the clubs, theaters and concert halls where our music might get performed determines to a large extent the kind of music we write. We semi unconsciously create music that will be appropriate to the places in which it will most likely be heard. Put that way it sounds obvious...but most people are surprised that creativity might be steered and molded by such mundane forces. I go further - it seems humans aren't the only ones who do this, who adapt our music to sonic circumstances - birds do it too. I play lots of sound snippets as examples, with images of the venues accompanying them...

Enjoy.

David B

Soho

Posted by Madame Lamb on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 7:25 AM